Utah Military Academy - Hill Field's last matchup with American Heritage could've gone either way, but unfortunately the same can't be said for the pair's contest on Friday. The Thunderbirds lost 12-6 to the Patriots. The defeat continues a trend for the Thunderbirds in their meetings with the Patriots: they've now lost eight in a row.
Ryan Wankier was huge no matter where he played even without the win. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one hit in four consecutive appearances. He was even better at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base. That home run was his first of the season.

Braden Emmett
08/29/25 vs American Heritage | 1 |
08/26/25 @ American Heritage | 3 |
08/22/25 @ Merit Preparatory Academy | 3 |
08/19/25 vs Merit Preparatory Academy | 5 |
08/15/25 vs Freedom Prep Academy | 3 |
+ 2 more games |
Wankier wasn't the only one making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Braden Emmett, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base and one RBI. Emmett is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last seven games he's played.
The loss was their first at home , dropping their record down to 6-2. As for American Heritage, the win was the third in a row for them, bringing their record up to 7-6.
Coming up, Utah Military Academy - Hill Field will head out on the road to square off against Intermountain Christian at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The Thunderbirds will need to watch out since the Lions have now posted at least ten runs in their last ten matches. As for American Heritage, they will welcome Wayne at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. The Badgers have struggled to contain batters this season (they've allowed 11 runs per game on average), something the Patriots will no doubt try to take advantage of.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps